What's a "Gashapon" Anyway?

What is a "Gashapon"? Gashapon machines are similar to United States coin-op toy vending machines seen outside of grocery stores and other retailers. While coin-op vending toys are usually cheap, low quality products, Japanese Gashapon are normally a much higher quality product. Additionally, they are often constructed from high-grade PVC plastic containing more molding detail and carefully painted features. However, these are not simply toys: they are collectors items, with rare ones fetching extremely high prices.